Tiny Endangered Froglets Born After Traveling 7,000 Miles In Their Rescued Fathers’ Vocal Sacs

While animal rescue missions might make you think of a cat stuck in a tree, or even the zoo animals rescued from Ukraine, sometimes even the smallest creatures need some help. An ambitious amphibious project has seen tiny frogs and their tinier tadpoles brought on an 11,265-kilometer (7,000-mile) journey.

On a five-day trip in October 2024, a team of conservationists set out to find Southern Darwin’s frogs (Rhinoderma darwinii) on a remote island off the coast of Chile. These frogs are especially small, and their home in the Parque Tantauco forests had been confirmed to be under threat from the deadly chytrid fungus. The disease amphibian chytridiomycosis wiped out 90 percent of the population in monitored areas in just one year. 

“We knew we were embarking on something special – the clock was ticking, and we needed to act quickly if we were going to save these frogs – and capturing this work on film has really cemented just how vital our work is,” said Ben Tapley, Curator of Amphibians at London Zoo, in a statement. 

The team managed to rescue 55 frogs, of which 53 did not test positive for the fungus. Of these, 11 were brooding tiny tadpoles inside their vocal sacs. The males – which weigh less than 2 grams (0.07 ounces) and are under 3 centimeters (1 inch) long – carried their precious offspring via boat, plane, and car to their new home at London Zoo.  

The fathers managed to bring 33 froglets to hatch at the zoo, where it is hoped that the population will continue to grow. One day they hope to bring the species back to Chile, once conservationists have worked on removing the chytrid fungus from the frogs’ wild home. 

The expedition was also captured on film by wildlife filmmaker Paul Glynn, who trekked through the forests of Tantauco Park looking for the tiny green frogs with the rest of the team. 

“Documenting this journey and the discovery of these incredible frogs has been such a rewarding experience,” said Bastián Santana, from Ranita de Darwin NGO.

“The film captures not only the urgency of conservation work – acting quickly to save the world’s most vulnerable species – but it’s a crucial tool to raise awareness of threats amphibians currently face in the wild. It’s a story of action and resilience that we hope will inspire others to support amphibian conservation.”

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